Mario Olives | Triumph Dining Product Review

We love olives in my house. In fact, a can of black olives was always in my stockings on Christmas mornings and it’s a tradition I’ve passed on to my children as well. At family gatherings there’s usually a relish tray with black and green olives and I always order them when we go out for tapas. My kids eat cheese pizza or pizza with black olives only. On nights when our meals need another pop of color or if there’s not enough fresh produce on hand to throw in our salad I’ll open a can of black olives. Whenever I do I always have to leave half of the can separate for the kids who inevitably end up with one on each finger before they eat them. When I traveled to Turkey I wished I could bring vats of olives home in my suitcase.

I’ve never really thought of them as snack food until I saw the Mario Snack Olive pouches. These are brine-less pouches of pitted olives weighing less than 2oz. There are green or black olive varieties, some with added flavors and all clearly labeled non-GMO and gluten-free.

Of course I had to share my ONE pack with both kids and they passed the taste test. They were in a pouch that had gone through the mail but they were firm and tasty and retained their shape enough to fit on small fingers. Without the brine they were ready to eat with no draining required but they were a little oily so I recommend a fork instead of fingers (yes, we ate them right out of the package).

These pouches would be great to add to school lunches or to appease a salty snack craving for fewer calories than a bag of chips. Also, anything that is shelf stable and easy to pack and eat on the go is a bonus for me. I never know when I’ll be stuck in a meeting without gluten-free food options.

According to the store locator on Mario Camacho Foods website these aren’t sold where I usually shop so I may end up ordering them online. The company also told me they should be back in stock on Amazon.com soon.

Is there anything that you buy based on the package it comes in? I can think of a few things where I look at the format or package before I consider the brand: dishwasher pellets, gum, toothpaste, applesauce. Maybe olives will soon get added to that list also.